Vol. 36, No.4 (Serial No.205) June 2008 KSEA Letters Vol. 36, No. 4 (Serial No. 205) June 2008 Contents A Message from the President 4 Headquarters News 7 Join KSEA 56 2008 General Election Results Individual Membership Announcement Corporate Membership 2008 KSEA Election Committee Report Guideline for Articles in KSEA Letters UKC2008 Status Report 10 KSEA Sponsors 61 NMSC2008 Report 11 2008 Scholarship Report 14 Trend Report Continued 18 Chemistry In Memory of Late Prof. Kyungsik Kang 21 A Story of First Korean Astronaut 27 KSEA Point of Contacts 63 Chapter News 37 Georgia Chapter Publisher: Kang-Won Wayne Lee Midwest Chapter Annual Report Editor-In-Chief: Hee-Koo Moon Editors: Young Bae Choi Southern California Chapter Yongtaek Choi San Diego Chapter Eun Jae Shim Ashley Kim NY Metro Chapter Published by the Korean-American Scientist and Engineers Association North Texas Chapter All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced, in any form or any means, without the prior written permission of KSEA. KSEA assumes no responsibility for statement and opinion advanced by Member News 54 the contributors to its publications. Prof. Nak Ho Sung Prof. Kang-Won (Wayne) Lee Cover Page: Pictures from NMSC2008 Dr. Jae Hoon Kim Prof. Gail-Joon Ahn A MESSAGE FROM THE 36TH PRESIDENT Kang-Won Wayne Lee, Ph.D., P.E. Professor and Chair Dept. of Civil & Environmental Eng. University of Rhode Island Dear KSEA Members and Friends, It has been my honor and privilege to serve as the 36th President of the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) during these last twelve months. I am pleased to report that the 36th administration was successful in sustaining and improving our beloved KSEA as a versatile professional organization through the dedicated service of its members, officers, and staff. The journey has been demanding and at times not easy, but the accomplishments and activities performed during the 36th administration were extensive and rewarding. We have tirelessly promoted the application of science and technology for the benefit of society, fostered international cooperation (especially between the U.S. and Korea), and helped Korean-American (K-A) scientists and engineers develop their full career potential. Throughout my 30 years of KSEA membership, I have constantly been impressed and motivated by the outstanding achievements of K-A scientists and engineers in their professions. These colleagues serve as our role models, and they make our KSEA an extraordinary and proud association. Some of these afore- mentioned colleagues further volunteered to serve on the 36th Executive Committee (EC), and made great strides for the steady growth and bright future of KSEA. These individuals include: President Elect Kang- Wook Lee; Vice President Chueng Ryong Ji; Executive Director Gil Jong Kang; Finance Director Moon Jung Cho; Membership Directors Esther Yang, Sung Y. Song and Sam Sangsoo Ryu; Publication Directors Hee-Koo Moon, Eun Jae Shim, Young B. Choi, and Yongtaek Choi; Public Relations Director Bongsup Cho; Chapter Affairs Director Sangsoo Kim; Information Technology Director Minbo Shim; and General and International Cooperation Director Seungbae Park. Advice and guidance provided by two Presidential Advisors, Prof. Kane Kim and Dr. Sung K. Kang, was truly valuable and useful. Many local chapter leaders, committee chairs and members, and regular and student members also encouraged and helped me greatly. I could not have done my job without daily and thorough assistance from the headquarters (HQ) staff members. Administrative Manager Ashley Kim and Financial Manager Kelly Kim are very capable and dependable with excellent bilingual ability. Ms. Kim, our Administrative Manager, has worked at our HQ for over 10 years, and, perhaps more than any other individual provides continuity in our operations. From the beginning of the 36th administration, we embarked on a new mission to upgrade KSEA as well as to represent the majority of Korean-American scientists and engineers. To accomplish this goal, a number of strategies were vigorously executed, and I will summarize some of the important achievements and activities accomplished during the 36th term below. To make our KSEA more relevant to the Korean community in the United States, including to young professionals and graduate students, we developed and expanded venues for interaction such as topical and inter-disciplinary conferences, symposia, and workshops through which they can appreciate and be encouraged by the scope and accomplishment of K-A scientists and engineers, e.g., the Automotive Symposium in Alabama among 25 events. Further details can be found from the previous and current issues of KSEA Letters. 4 KSEA Letters, Vol. 36, No. 4 (June 2008) UKC2007 was successfully held last August at the Hyatt Agency Reston in the Washington, D.C. area. UKC2007 was a tremendous success and featured an exceptionally large number of participants. Over 1,000 attendees took part in outstanding forums, technical sessions, and workshops. All symposium organizers reported that the quality of papers presented in their respective symposium were of very high quality. I would like to thank the many people who invested valuable time and energy in UKC2007. UKC2008 will be held in San Diego, CA from August 14 to 17. Preparation for the conference continues to go very well. For more details, you may be able to find from our web site, www.ksea.org. The 2008 National Mathematics and Science Competition (NMSC2008) took place in 33 different cities under the supervision of 21 chapters in the US and 10 chapters in Canada on April 19, 2008, and total around 2,700 students in 4th to 11th grade participated. This event was facilitated through the local community service of our chapters and branches in collaboration with the KSEA HQ. The NMSC2008 made significant progress due to the many dedicated NMSC Committee members, and the 36th EC fully committed to support the NMSC2008 by significantly increasing its budget from previous years. KUSCO also provided prize money to winners and worked with KSEA closely from this year. Some dormant chapters were also revitalized via the NMSC 2008. Our Vice President, Prof. Chueng-Ryong Ji, successfully coordinated and executed the NMSC 2008 and the chapter revitalization plan. KSEA scholarships for undergraduates and KUSCO/KSEA scholarships for graduate students were handed out once again, with an increased number of scholarships awarded. President Emeritus of Seoul National University Dr. Wan Kyoo Cho donated $1,000 to create a new undergraduate scholarship, and our 34th President, Prof. Kane Kim, donated about half of the prize money ($10,000) related to the 14th KBS Overseas Compatriots Award in the field of Science and Technology for the establishment of the Woojin-KBS scholarship. Outstanding Essay Awards were also once again awarded as part of the undergraduate scholarship program. For the KUSCO/KSEA graduate scholarship winners, a travel grant to attend the UKC2008 will be provided as well. We continued to strengthen our connections with existing K-A professional societies to promote an open environment and a quality oriented image so that outstanding professionals will feel that it is worthwhile to obtain and maintain membership and participation in KSEA activities. KSEA supported these societies by sharing its resources as an umbrella organization like KOFST in Korea. Some of KSEA HQ supports went to Baltimore Life Science Association (BLSA), Korea Transportation Association in America (KOTAA), KOCSEA, KWiSE, and NJ KASBP, etc. I have encouraged our EC members and Technical Group Councilors to contact and invite all possible current and former presidents of all existing and available professional affiliated organizations to be candidates for KSEA HQ Councilors and Committee members. We also offered our leadership, fellowship, and existing organizational infrastructure to act as a focal point for these organizations. To be more proactive in our outreach to Korean-Americans whose primary or only mode of communication is English, i.e., the 1.5 and 2nd generations, we expanded our current YG programs. The YG Technical and Leadership Conference (YGTLC) was held on January 4-6, 2008 in San Diego. It included technical presentations and involved a wider spectrum of participants. I thank YG Affairs Director and YG Steering Committee (Mr. John Lee, Ms. Jung Min Lee and Ms. Joanne Lee et. al) who prepared diligently for the success of YGTLC 2008. KSEA HQ also supported regional activities, e.g., Northeast YG and Career Development, NE MIT-KSA Korea Culture Show, PNC and NW YG Forum, and South Texas/Texas A&M Student Global Leadership Workshop, etc. This year, HQ finances remained healthy despite a $60,000 decrease in support from KOFST; we persisted in funding a large number of chapter activities, Young Generation activities, regional conferences, and even activities conducted by our affiliated professional societies. Efforts to increase our financial stability KSEA Letters, Vol. 36, No. 4 (June 2008) 5 have continued throughout the term. Total revenue and expenditures exceeded $1 million, yet HQ continued its smooth management of the organizational budget. Thanks to the thoughtful consideration of former Deputy Prime Minister Woo Sik Kim and officers of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the 35th President Kang, the 36th President Lee and the 37th President-Elect Lee worked together to secure $100,000 in additional funds for UKC2008 and established a precedent for future UKCs. We also tried working with corporate members and potential partners and sponsors, and secured more funding this way. For example, International Cooperation Director Park worked with the Korea Industrial Technology Foundation (KOTEF) to pave the way for a review of its proposals and to secure another $10,000 for UKC2008. Several other plans were discussed at the first mid-term Council meeting in San Diego on January 5, 2008. I was pleased to observe the open, passionate and professional discussions that were conducted to enhance our beloved KSEA, and I hope that these efforts will not divide us but rather unite us for healthy growth in the foreseeable future.